Sushma Swaraj to visit Bangladesh today; LBA, Teesta River pact on the table

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will on Wednesday embark on her first official visit to Bangladesh during which she will hold talks with top leadership on key bilateral issues including Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) and proposed Teesta River pact.

Though there are no pacts to be signed, the trip, which is termed as a ‘goodwill’ visit, is aimed at taking forward the bilateral ties that are on a ‘positive trajectory’ for past few years.

The Indian side maintains they were not going with the ‘shopping list’ and that the External Affairs Minister will review the status of bilateral ties between the two sides.

However, the Indian delegation, which is expected to raise issues like illegal immigration and market access, is also prepared that Bangladesh will raise the issues of LBA and proposed Teesta river pact.

Significantly, it was BJP's opposition, coupled with that of Trinamool Congress and Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) which prevented the previous Congress-led UPA government from formalizing the land boundary agreement and signing the Teesta water sharing deal with Bangladesh.

The LBA, which is yet to be approved by the Parliament, is aimed at redrawing the international boundary between India and Bangladesh by exchanging areas of adverse possession and enclaves along with population on either side, thus making the highly incongruous and porous Indo-Bangla border more manageable.

This is Swaraj's first foreign visit after becoming the External Affairs Minister. She had accompanied Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his first official visit to Bhutan earlier this month.

Meanwhile, MEA official spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said that there was no proposal of visa-free travel for any Bangladesh national on the table.

He also said that Swaraj's visit, at the invitation of her Bangladeshi counterpart Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali, reflects the importance that India attaches to its bilateral relationship with the neighbouring nation.

During the visit, Swaraj will hold discussions on bilateral issues with Hassan Mahmood Ali and also call on Bangladeshi President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.